Crazy Quilting

In the tiny North Dakota town of Antler (boasting a population of seventy-five), there is a secret treasure thanks to citizen and quilter Leona Tennyson.

Tennyson is the brainpower behind one of the most ambitious quilt patterns ever undertook. In fact, when all was said and done, her creation was subsequently recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the “world’s largest historical quilt.”

Intended to commemorate North Dakota’s statehood centennial in 1988, the quilt is a faithful reproduction of North Dakota with every county added lovingly in a different color. It covers an astounding 11, 390 square feet.

North Dakota officials refused to display the quilt, however, saying Tennyson should have asked before making it so large. And that was the official line for years. Tennyson passed away in 1995 with her quilt having never been displayed.

It currently resides in a travel trailer and is cared for by Tennyson’s daughters-in-law. They continue her fight to find a place willing to display the crafting milestone.

As the quilting and embroidering demographic continues to expand, the market is beginning to flood with books touting themselves as the “end all be all” of crafting. And it can be difficult to decide which is actually best.While personal preferences will differ, A-Z of Embroidery Stitches by Sue Gardner is regarding by many embroidery enthusiasts as one of the must-have embroidery books in the market. The spiral-bound edition contains 144 pages of embroidery photos and step-by-step instructions concerning every aspect of the craft.

It is the first craft book released by the Australian company Country Bumpkin Publications. At last count, this company has now released twenty-seven books in the A-Z series. Proving extremely popular, Country Bumpkin has sold over 2 million total copies in this series, and they have found this success internationally.

If this edition doesn’t answer all your questions, don’t fear. They also released A-Z of Embroidery Stitches 2 to cover any aspect they missed in the first attempt.

Stumped for a gift to send for Christmas this year? With the holidays always just ‘coming up,’ now is a good time to think about your many loved ones and assigns thoughtful gifts for them all. But what do you get someone who has just about everything?

Well, how about something that they could not possibly have made because it hasn’t been created by you yet. Get creative with some quilting patterns and give them a gift that is entirely personalized. They will keep it forever and every time they look at it, they will think of the loving person who so graciously gave them something so valuable.

Use your creativity to design your own home concept.  The finishing touches in a home that creates that personalized feel are right at your fingertips.  You can embroider your shades and lighting system. 
 
With very simple quilting supplies, you can cost effectively change a rooms feel in a very subtle way.  The color that you can bring out with crazy quilting is incredible.  These small tasteful steps are a great way to spend an afternoon, and the results are fantastic.